The last time
by Wouter Jaegers
Summary: The final time that Lucy pulled the ball away.


The Last time.

A Peanuts, Charlie Brown and Friends Fanfiction story  
By Wouter Jaegers

So there I was, completely dazed at what just happened. He was gone, gone forever and I was the blame, I was a murderer, a criminal, I actually took somebody's life. And yet the day started out so innocently, how could this all worked out so rotten for me?

It all started when Peppermint Patty called me about a football match she was organising and asked me if I wanted to be part of it. "Come Lucille." She said "Your drive and energy is what we need here!" And I agreed to be there, I love sports and all and the prospect of Charlie Brown being there fired me up even more.

So how did I know that Charlie Brown would be there? Not too diffilcult a conclusion really, Peppermint Patty has always had a big crush on him, it was only natural for her to invite him over. Just so that "Chuck" was there making her feel good just by being there.

When Linus and I arrived at the field, everybody was already warming up for the game. There were makeshift goal posts and coats and jackets were laid along the field as markers, it all looked really convincing. And I felt my spirits rising at playing this game. The opponent were kids from another neighborhood and they too were firing on all cilinders, it was as close to a real NFL match as we'd ever gotten.

Peppermint Patty had positioned herself as the team captain and she devided the team, Charlie Brown would be quarterback (Big surprise here?), Linus and Schroeder became linebackers, Marcie, Sally and me became the recievers. So with our positions in place, the game started.

What exactly happened during the game itself is a bit of a daze but at one time during the game I suddenly found myself in a very familiar position. There I was holding the ball ready for Charlie Brown to kick it away. The next thing what happened was almost in slow motion, I can recall even the smallest detail.

I see Charlie Brown approaching, I see his little lock of hair bouncing from his sweat covered face, I see his yellow with black stripe shirt wave along with his movements as he makes his way towards me. I can see the determination in his eyes as he does not want this match to end in another defeat. He's only inches away from me now, his right foot racing towards the ball and then...

...I pulled it away...

I also can recall what happened after that into the smallest detail. I see Charlie Brown lose his footing, I hear him screaming, I see him doing almost a complete backflip, I see his right foot at the space where his head was only a split second earlier. And then came the thud of him hitting the ground and the snapping sound I'll never forget.

For a few seconds I sat there with the ball still in my hands, and I felt satisfied, I pulled the trick on him again. But something wasn't right, as I walked over to him to make a little wisecrack about him falling for it again, I saw it. There was blood coming from the corner of his mouth. Meanwhile the others came running towards us and Peppermint Patty shouted "How on earth could you DO that Lucille, this is an important game we're playing here!" before turning her attention to Charlie Brown. "Chuck, are you okay?"

There was no reply, Linus and Sally got him upright but Charlie Brown remained completely limp. His face was completely white and he was unresponsive suddenly the truth dawned on us, this was something far more serious than we thought.

"Sir, we'd better call 911!" Marcie shouted "This is not something we'll be able to handle." As she made her way to the nearest house to use the phone she gave me an icecold stare as she passed me by.

"Goshdarnit Lucille what did you do that for?" Peppermint Patty growled at me. "Look at the state you left Chuck in with your stupid move and we were on the winning hand!" I opened my mouth to speak but no words came.

"Yeah 'dear sister' care to explain yourself?" Linus joined in.

But what was there to explain, I just fell into the routine, every time I hold the ball so Charlie Brown can kick it away, I pull it away from him, it just something so natural to me that I couldn't help it, it was just something that I HAD to do. Important game or not, Charlie Brown was about to kick away a ball I held and so true to my nature I pulled it away making him fall, like I'd done so many times before.

When the ambulance arrived, our worst fears were comfirmed, Charlie Brown was dead, he died from breaking his neck when he fell.

I can still recall the reactions as the ambulance rode off.

I see Sally crying and Linus hugging her, he even put his security blanket around her as a futile token of consolation. In a way it was funny, Sally always had the hots for Linus and here she was; finally in his arms in a loving embrace at what probably was the worst day of her life.

I can still see Peppermint Patty walking towards me, the fire in her eyes blazing, she was really besides herself in anger, I couldn't blame her, I just robbed her of the boy she loved the most. Then there was this sensation of her fist burrying itself my solar plexus and eventhough I crumpled up, I can't recall feeling pain. I hear her growling and shrieking at me. I can't recall what she said as Shroeder and Franklin drag her away from me but I doubt that I really want to know.

Finally there was Snoopy, his reaction was probably the worst, I can still see him walking towards me and then lifting his hind leg...

... This has all happened just a few minutes ago, and I'm still lying here on the ground. I look up at the sky: it's a lovely day, it is sunny, no clouds in the sky at all. I'm still holding the football, for some reason I just can't let it go. I'm just lying there in a daze, looking at the sky.

Say Charlie Brown, when I pulled the ball away from you so many times and left you lying on the ground, did you feel the same way, looking at how beautiful the sky is and the sun as it warms up your skin?

My train of toughts is interrupted by the voice of a police man. "Miss Lucy Van Pelt, you'll have to come along with me."

As I try to stand up, the recoil of Peppermint Patty's punch makes me cringe and crumple up again, the police man who apparently has been informed helps me up. He's gentle and his way of speaking tells me that he's a nice guy. He tells me that I have to come with him. I meekly nod my head as I walk towards the patrol car

At the patrol car I see everybody: Linus and Sally still hugging, I see Schroeder and Marcie looking at me with colder stares than I ever gotten from them before, I see Peppermint Patty crumpled up at the curb quietly sobbing, I am tempted to call out her name but I can't even utter the words. What could I possibly say to her?

I have no idea what wil happen next but I already hear words of "Manslaughter in the first degree" and I know that that accusation is pretty spot on, I had every intention of pulling that ball away and making Charlie Brown fall. There is no use in lying, I pulled that ball away because I wanted him to fall. Gosh I never even imagined that something that has brought me so much fun before would get me this deep in trouble.

As I sit down in the backseat of the patrol car something catches my eye. Something yellow. I turn my head skywards and see a kite, yellow with a black stripe. Is that you Charlie Brown? Is that you looking down on me?

As the car starts and pulls away I can feel the tears start to well up. And I know for sure that no matter how often I'll return to the field with a ball, I will never again have anybody trying to kick it away.

The end

Background info: This one came about from my idea of doing Peanuts comics, this storyline was one of the things I put on paper to work out in a comic. It's based on this all to familiar scene from the series. Lucy Van Pelt pulling the ball away and aways having an excuse for doing so, my idea was to write a story where she ran out of excuses. But because I decided to shelve the idea of doing Peanuts fan comics it never came to be. Until today when I decided for myself that this one was too good to pass up so here it is.


End file.
